Anticipation, exclusivity, curiosity – The feelings that drew me to dining at the Test Kitchen which is tucked away in the Old Biscuit Mill in Captetown. Sure they have a number of accolades including EatOut Restaurant of the Year for 2015, 14, & 13 and the No. 28 spot on Acqua Panna and San Pelligrino’s list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants but, what really gets the diner hooked is when they have contacted the restaurant months and months in advance and there are still no reservations available!
In my case, my friend who is a South African native called the restaurant 5 months prior to the week that we were going to be in Capetown looking for dinner reservations for anytime that week. “I’m really sorry mam…..” - so we settled for a spot at lunch after some back and forth with the reservationist. I can safely say that the rest of my schedule in Capetown revolved around this lunch reservation because it was just so hard to get it!
The Old Biscuit Mill (pictured), where the Test Kitchen is located, is exactly as the name suggests an old mill that served as a factory and then converted to its current retail and restaurant layout. It is touted as a foodie-centric little village in the heart of Woodstock where there are displays of day and night markets, farm stalls, local arts and crafts, and an array of versatile restaurants aside from The Test Kitchen. All in all, you can spend a good part of your day exploring local ingredients and flavors at the Old Biscuit Mill.
As soon as you walk into the Test Kitchen you notice the exposed brick walls with a slight whitewash of paint, funky artwork, &a wall of wine with a ladder making it look like an old school library. One cannot miss the open air kitchen with huge pots of boiling Lamb jus and all of the chefs running around trying to perfect each dish.
It’s a small restaurant with a seating capacity of approximately 60+ people. You are seated at your table and at this point you’re thinking, seriously what’s so awesome about this place, and why the hoopla for getting in because I’ve seen places like this in Brooklyn! It’s almost like the chef and owner of the restaurant, Luke Dale-Roberts, wants a New Yorker like me to have that feeling of doubt so that when he starts his service it’s like POW – What now?
At the Test Kitchen the only option during lunch is the Discovery tasting with or without wine pairings.Currency exchange for US travelers is unprecedentedly favorable at the moment so we went all in and got the South African wine pairings. Service starts and the first thing I notice is the generosity of each wine poured. It’s going to be a happy afternoon!
A bread plate (pictured) for the table arrives and it’s unlike any other bread plate I’ve had before withan onion roll that unwraps with huge slices of freshly caramelized onions dropping off as you unroll the bread and another roll made with lamb fat – The popovers at BLT Prime have nothing on this bread plate.
From there the lunch Discovery tasting menu goes on to be 8 courses of pure Wow! Every single one of the dishes served was exquisitely prepared and presented with phenomenal combinations of color, flavor, and texture. Oysters with a fried curry leaf, Trout Ceviche with preserved lemon cream, Spring Lamb with Hunters Jus, Local Kingklip fish with curried beurrenoisette (pictured), & a choice of langoustine with pickled shitake and mirin tea or Foie Gras with lentil and pickled mushroom salsa.
I went with the langoustine and the mirin tea was just divine in flavor – I just wish they had used crayfish instead of langoustine being South Africa and all. Dessert included an array of tropical sorbets and ice creams (pictured) and the local malva pudding with ice cream – decadent! Each dish brought out to us looked like an edible intricate painting.
Chef Luke Dale-Roberts does a good job of curating a tasting menu that marries European execution and presentation with delicate hints of flavors and ingredients of South Africa. However, in some instances, I wished there was a pronounced local flavor such as the Portuguese piripiri, Cape-Malay spices, or Indian curries. The service was impeccable, however, because of the open aired kitchen the dining area started to feel a bit hot and stuffy and we had to ask the staff to open their doors to let air in. Overall, on my 5 point scale, I would give the Test Kitchen 4 points and a must try while in Capetown!
Comments
0 comment